Wire Kickstand Assembly for Stable Upright Measuring Wheels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional one-wheeled measuring devices are unstable for upright storage, prone to damage, and require complex and costly assembly for kickstand deployment, necessitating a simpler and cost-effective solution for stable storage.
Innovation Solution
A support assembly with a wire member, retention bodies, and engagement members that transition between retracted and deployed states, providing increased tension and self-positioning capabilities to securely engage the device upright without exposed parts or complex components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a kickstand is added to enable upright storage of one-wheeled measuring devices, then storage stability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase due to required screws and springs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the kickstand function from a complex mechanical assembly (screws, springs, folding mechanisms) and implements it through a simple wire member that can be bent into position. The wire member is inserted through a retention body and bent at an angle to form the kickstand, eliminating the need for complex fastening components while maintaining storage stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and configuration parameters of the wire member to achieve kickstand functionality. By bending the wire member at a specific angle and positioning it within the retention body, the system transforms a simple linear component into a functional kickstand structure that provides stable upright storage without requiring additional mechanical complexity.
2Reliability
If conventional kickstand assembly methods are used with screws and springs, then kickstand retention is achieved, but manufacturing cost and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wire member serves multiple functions through its own structural configuration rather than requiring separate components. The same wire member that provides kickstand support also acts as its own retention mechanism through the bent portion that engages with the retention body, eliminating the need for separate springs or screws to hold it in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of the kickstand leg and the retention mechanism into a single wire member. The bent portion of the wire member simultaneously provides the kickstand support function and the retention function by engaging with the retention body, consolidating what would traditionally require multiple separate components into one integrated element.
Data Source
AI summary
A support assembly for a measuring device may include a first retention body, a second retention body, and a wire member having a foot portion, legs and engagement members. The foot portion may extend between distal ends of the legs, and the engagement members may extend from respective proximal ends of the legs. The first and second retention bodies may each include a retaining channel extending at least partially therethrough to receive respective ones of the engagement members. The wire member may be operably coupled to the first and second retention bodies to be transitioned between a retracted state and a deployed state in which the foot member is configured to engage ground upon which the measuring device is operable adjacent to a wheel of the support assembly. The legs and the foot portion may be operably coupled to each other such that tension is increased when the wire member is transitioned between the retracted state and deployed state and is lower in one or both of the retracted state and the deployed state.